Should children have rights?
I had a conversation with my 12 year old daughter last night about an incident that happened at school.
She was telling me that a teacher grabbed a child and pulled him into line after she had asked him twice to line up.
She was horrified that a teacher could treat a child this way, I went onto say If this happened to one of my children I would be mortified that they didn’t do that was asked first time, so I would back the teacher.
My Daughter couldn’t believe my stance on this, and said think of the child, he must of felt embarrassed all I said was “and your point is”. She then said “he has rights and shouldn’t be treated this way”.
I then replied, if you feel you have totally rights then you should be able to leave home and live on your own. You should be able to live and do exactly what you like and fend for yourself.
Are you able to do this? Her response was “no”.
Then I said all we are here to do is to raise children to the best of our ability to be law abiding individual that have respect for others.
What did that child show that was pulled into line. She said disrespect for the teacher.
I said here lies the problem
Children think they have rights but are to young to understand what that means.
Here lies the dilemma
I believe children should have a voice
But I don’t believe they should have rights.
Do you believe a child should have a voice?
Should children be given rights?
Do Children really know what these rights are?
Couldn’t this be one of the root causes why so many Children show lack of respect?
Do you believe to have a voice is different from having rights?
100% children should have rights. They are a human being and should be afforded the same rights of protection as any individual. You say they can't have rights because they can't think and fend for themselves. Wel what about handicapped people, they quite often have a mental age of a child. Or are we saying they don't deserve rights !!!
Now pulling a child into line is not going to violate those rights may I add. The fact is the child in this case was after attention and showing off in front of others. The teacher played straight into there hands...gave them the attention they sought and as can be seen from your own childs stance, they became to victim in the eyes of others. Had the teacher told the person to get into line or 30 mins detention was coming there way after school...and that to be extended to another 30 min detention for every time they had to tell them again..I think maybe it would have been a differant comclusion.
Yes - children should have rights. But so should teachers. The teacher deserves the right to be respected and the right to do the job they're paid for without having to put up with sarky little bleeders doing what they can to disrupt other pupils education. Two sides to every coin.
100% children should have rights.
I do know where you are coming from, but should children then know they have rights?
A lot of children in my opinion don't seem to know what this means, they seem to think they are except from all forms of responsibility.
I believe children should be protected from such things as violence, mental, physical and sexual abuse.
They are a human being and should be afforded the same rights of protection as any individual.
You can protect children without giving them "childens rights" this seems to instil in them that they are against any form of punishment.
You say they can't have rights because they can't think and fend for themselves.
Wel what about handicapped people, they quite often have a mental age of a child. Or are we saying they don't deserve rights !!!
Everyone deserves protection but child are aware that they have their own rights. We grew up without childrens rights, but I for one always felt the law was there to protect me.
Now pulling a child into line is not going to violate those rights may I add.
But children think it does, there lies the problem.
The fact is the child in this case was after attention and showing off in front of others. The teacher played straight into there hands...gave them the attention they sought and as can be seen from your own childs stance, they became to victim in the eyes of others. Had the teacher told the person to get into line or 30 mins detention was coming there way after school...and that to be extended to another 30 min detention for every time they had to tell them again..I think maybe it would have been a differant comclusion.
Well apparently my daughter said this lad has had five 30 mins detention plus two 1 hr ones. So I guess that wouldn’t be a deterrent for him.
What do you do in cases like that?
He only started the school in September aged 11 don’t think he will be there much longer is my guessing.
Yes of course children have rights, but they also need to learn that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. They sometimes have to learn that by being irresponsible, they forfeit the right not to be humiliated in front of their classmates, or that by showing maturity and good judgement they earn the extra right to be less closely supervised. -- its all part of growing up ...
Im feeling like expressing my own opinions today, just for the hell of it, and maybe i will be flamed, maybe not...TBH i dont really care today!
I think kids today have WAY too many rights. Its people who fall over themselves to be so right on an politically correct that have done this.
Yes children are human beings, yes they have basic human rights as any of them should....BUT there is a fundamental difference....we as adults and parents care for them from when they are born untill they are of an age when they, in effect, leave the nest.
We have to rely on our own instincts and best judgements to choose the right options for them to live their lives and to grow up into kind, loving and respectful adults. They need and should be taught manners, respect for elders, property and the rights of others.
Now Im not suggesting for one minute thatthey should have no rights and should be beaten, pressganged or forced into submission every time, or that adults should abuse their positions at any time, BUT the kids of today are only too well aware of their hyped up rights and many of those can and do play on this to the detriment of their parents, families and society in general.
How many times is a child misbehave at school and told off, or whatever, for them to spout...you cant do owt to me...i know my rights. Thus leaving the teacher with hands tied as regards to a means to sort out the problem.
The same with parents....those with 'wayward and challenging' kids (and I know there are quite a few on here that have kids like this) how many times have they had their attempts at family discipline met with....'you cant do that...i know my rights', or 'thats it...I divorce you as my parents'....or even 'you cant do that...I'll call childline!'
Giving children to many rights and therefore too much responsibility for their own action....responsibility that has no recourse.....has given them almost carte blanche to do as they want to.
I have 4 kids age 15, 11, 9 and 5, and if god forbid any of them came home having said that the teacher had had to ask them twice to do something, then bodily moved them for ignoring them, I would be 100% behind the teacher....when we send the kids to school, we do so with the understanding that they are to be in loco parentis, and deal with our children appropriately, as we would.
We have brought our kids to be mindful of adults, respectful and with good manners....doesnt always happen 100% of the time (Im not naive enough to think it does) and on the times they fall by the wayside (which having a couple of kids with behavioural difficulties) happens, we have to steer them back to the path which we as parents have had to try and map out for them without a manual or at least basic instructions in chinese with helpful diagrams!)
example...one of my kids has dyspraxia which affects his behaviour quite badly at times......he thinks he can play on this and behave badly to get out of school work......he got excluded for refusing to work, and the teacher tried within his limited confines, to get him to work....and got kicked by my child hence the exclusion.
Did he come home and watch cbeebies for 2 days or go out on his bike....did he buggery.....he was up at the normal time, dressed in his school uniform, and he completed all the work that Mr Bone had requested from the school, and more besides, from till
school were surprised he had even completed the minimal amount of work they gave him, let alone more, as its rare that any excluded child does the work given, and are usually shove outside or on a games console so as not to interfere with things.
anyways, I dont wish to blow my own trumpet...Im not a perfect parent, its a damn hard job, and one I have made many mistakes doing, and one i will probably continue to make mistakes doing, but as an adult in my kids lives, and the adults that my kids may come into contact, teachers, police, other adults in general we all have a duty to be able to maintain order and discipline, calm and direction in the childrens lives, without them running amok with the plethora of rights a minority have given them.
The removal of adults rights and the instillation of more and more kids rights is making a rod for our own backs....the generations before us, as ourselves, grew up with the respect for elders and those in positions of authority, and we strive to instill that in our own kids.....sadly fighting a losing battle as the more things that kids can get away with without fear of a penalty, will just snowball into future generations so that maybe one day, noone will have to, or even be bothered to follow rules, regulations and laws, because someone somewhere decided they didnt have too.
addendum...i understand there are kids that need protecting from nasty mean, cruel and bad adults, and I for one am fully behind any and all legislation that prevents this, I write the above post from a point of view of a 'normal' parent with 'normal' kids who are loved and cherished and hopefully going to grow up as smart, well adjusted, self assured adults, who will pass on similar values to their kids.
*gets down off soap box and leaves thread for a toilet break*
Children should have a right to voice their opinions, and they should have human rights however alot of children know what rights they have and how to manipulate them.
I would be horrified if my child was badly behaved at school but I would be equally horrified if a teacher man handled my child. It has happened to my little one for no apparent reason, in front of me. I did complain to the school and it was dealt with accordingly.
depends on the subject, if you say children should not have rights then you are basically saying people can do what the hell they want to them because they have no rights, so in that case i have to say yes children should and must have rights.